This invention relates to postage meters. More particularly, it relates to postage meters having the capability to print supplemental information together with an indicia representative of the postage for a mail piece.
Postage meters are well known devices which print indicia representative of specified postage amounts on mail pieces. Such meters include a printing mechanism for printing the indicia, which will typically include the postage amount, date, meter serial number and an arbitrary, fanciful image to discourage counterfeiting. Such meters also include an accounting mechanism which is set, or charged, to allow printing of a specified amount of postage upon payment to a postal service or its agent. As each indicia is printed the amount in the accounting mechanism is decremented by the corresponding amount to assure that the total of postage represented by all the indicia printed does not exceed the amount paid to the postal service. Postage meters include means, such as physically secure housing, to assure that amounts recorded in the accounting mechanism are not improperly altered and that he printing mechanism is not operated without accounting for the postage expended. Such postage meter are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,978,457; to:Check, Jr. et al.; issued: Aug. 31, 1976, and 4,301,507; to Soderberg et al.; issued: Nov. 17, 1981, which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Present regulations of the U.S. Postal Service provide for a discount on postage for mailers who include the zip code of the addressee in barcode form (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "Postnet" barcode) since such barcodes greatly facilitate mail sorting operations by the Postal Service. Initially such discounts were available only to large volume mailers who presorted mail. However, recent participated changes to the regulations will provide a flat rate discount for single mail pieces marked with the Postnet barcode. This discount increases the desirability of providing the small volume mailer with a convenient mechanism for printing barcode. Also, beyond any discount and perhaps more importantly, barcoded mail is likely to be delivered both more reliably and more promptly.